Israeli settlements are illegal under international law. Unconditional UN condemnation. Settlements grow in number and population.
Cairo (AsiaNews / Agencies) - "This position cannot come from someone seeking peace." Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit has condemned the claim to the legitimacy of the settlements reiterated by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which excluded the possibility of an Israeli withdrawal from the occupied West Bank.
"This is our land," Netanyahu declared yesterday, "We came back here to stay there once and for all. We will not eradicate more settlements from the land of Israel. "
Israeli colonies in Occupied Territories are considered illegal under international law and the international community does not recognize Israel's sovereignty over them.
On December 23, the UN Security Council condemned these settlements by resolution 2334, passed thanks to the abstention of the then outgoing Obama administration. However, Israel has made no effort to apply it.
Under the Netanyahu government there has been a considerable increase in Israeli colonies. To date, at least 600,000 Israeli citizens live in over 130 settlements built by Israel since 1967, the date of commencement of occupation. At the end of March, the government approved the construction of a new official settlement in Shiloh.